Selective memories of 2007 draft don't upset Browns' Quinn

If Browns quarterback Brady Quinn had it to do all over again, he probably would have just gone fishing with fellow first-rounder Joe Thomas.

Instead, the whole world watched on ESPN while he tumbled down the first round of last year's NFL Draft like Alice down the rabbit hole. Still, Quinn doesn't wince when he looks back on his nationally televised free fall.

"People are always coming up to me and consoling me about that day as though it was the most negative thing in the world," Quinn said. "But when you get right down to it, it was one of the most amazing experiences I've ever had. I got to be with my family, we were in New York City and I was being drafted to play in the NFL. What can be so bad about that?"

Yet for the four hours before the Browns put Quinn out of his misery by trading this year's first-round pick and last year's second-rounder to Dallas to get him at No. 22, Quinn was being knocked right off his Notre Dame Golden Dome. It was painful to watch, but you couldn't tear yourself away. If ever the kid could've used a Hail Mary, it was then.

"That's the fun of it, right?" Quinn said with a laugh. "The people at home were kind of experiencing what I was experiencing. There was all of this mystery and intrigue. But in the end, I still got drafted in the first round -- and by the team I've always wanted to play for."

The night before the draft, Browns General Manager Phil Savage called Quinn's agent, Tom Condon, in New York and told him he wasn't going to take Quinn at No. 3. But was it some kind of smokescreen?

"Tom said, 'I think he's being honest, but I've never had something like this happen before in my career,' " Quinn said. "And I was kind of like, 'Yeah, weird. We'll see what happens.' It wasn't until they picked Joe that we were like, 'Wow, I guess he was telling the truth.' "

Quinn's heart sank a little when the Browns passed on him. A native of Dublin, Ohio, he had grown up dreaming of playing for the Browns. Then he suffered another big blow when Miami overlooked him at No. 9 and opted for Cleveland native and Ohio State product Ted Ginn Jr. The move was heavily blasted by draft experts such as ESPN's Mel Kiper.

"My mom and my girlfriend were a little more emotional and distraught than I was," he said. "I had to make sure they knew everything was going to work out. It probably helped pass the time a little bit."

After a few hours, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell moved Quinn and his family into his private suite and out of the national spotlight. "I think even Roger Goodell got a little sick of seeing me on camera," Quinn said.

While there, Quinn received a ray of hope that he might still get to fulfill his dream of playing for the Browns.

"Jay Glazer [from Foxsports.com] texted me and said, 'Hey, Cleveland is trying to get you, don't rule them out,' " Quinn said. "For all I know, it was a guess. But it made things exciting."

During the more than two hours it took for Savage to swing a deal with Dallas -- one that gives the Cowboys the same No. 22 pick in this year's draft -- Quinn emerged from the private suite to be interviewed on ESPN.

"It was my decision, because I came to New York and I wanted to be part of the process regardless of how it went," Quinn said. "I had an optimistic outlook, and I wanted people to know I wasn't trying to hide."

When Goodell called his name for the Browns, Quinn bolted out of the suite to the stage, where Goodell was holding a Browns No. 1 jersey -- the one that would've gone to Thomas had he not been fishing with his dad.

"It was the most incredible feeling," Quinn said. "It was almost like Roger Goodell scripted it. It couldn't have worked out any better. It was like a storybook with a happy ending."

The harrowing day made that trip out to the stage all that much sweeter for Quinn.

"If I hadn't had the adversity of having to wait a little while, I don't think I would've appreciated it as much when it happened," he said.

Here it is, almost draft day again, and Quinn is still waiting. Savage and coach Romeo Crennel have made it clear that Quinn is the backup to Derek Anderson heading into this season -- and Quinn is still determined to win the starting job.

"It's a common theme in my life," he said. "God's always telling me to patient -- and I'm probably one of the most impatient people you'll ever meet. It's a work in progress. But when I do get to start, I expect to appreciate it even more, the same way I did on draft day."

His advice for the guys in this year's draft?

"Unless you really have your heart set on going to New York, you might want to consider going fishing," he said.

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